Thundershock

Fantasy paused mid-grab, blinking at him while a crust hung out of her mouth. Quickly realizing what she was doing, she spit the crust back into the bag and cleared her throat. "Um... well, where do I begin?" Music? Fashion? Monsters? Villains? The Princesses? "Seriously, where do I begin?" And how much should she tell?

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North seems taken aback by what she says having not thought that far ahead when he asked her his question. "Uhh... I'm not sure where to start. Start with whatever is the most... different?" He thought for a moment and facehooved. He felt dumb for not realizing how loaded of a question he had asked.

Fantasy thought for a minute, then took another bite of bread and turned to face North. "Okay, I don't wanna sound self-incriminating or anything, but... you seem to be... accepting this rather... readily?"

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North gave her a confused look before speaking. "I'm curious. Never once said I believe anything you'd told me. Frankly, I don't, at least not most of it. But it's interesting and passes the time. North would give a small smile towards Fantasy after he finishes speaking before returning to keeping watch around the park.

"The outsider's talking? I thought it had a muzzle because she bit ponies or something."

"Is it weird that she knows our language?"

"That makes more sense." Fantasy said. "So... right... the most interesting thing. The most different thing...

"Well, I guess I only have my own judgment to decide that. I don't know much about this place. So! The most different thing... probably... the size, I suppose? I suppose the overall culture, too, but I'd think that'd be a given."

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North eyes the ponies speaking, raising his voice at them. "Yes, you've said your piece, move along with your days!" He'd look back towards Fantasy, listening as she talks.

He'd think for a moment before speaking. "Sadly, given orders, I can't really tell you much about our city. You'll just have to go off of what you see." He'd go quiet for a moment before asking a question. "So how big is Equestria?"

North shakes his head. "Only maps I've seen are of our city. No one leaves, not that anyone would really want to. So no, I don't know how big continents are." North would sound very sincere as he says this, genuinely not knowing anything about them.

North looks to her for a moment, tilting his head a bit in confusion. "Why... would we? We have everything would could ever need here. Sure, a few of us are curious, like me, but... no one really wants to go find out, if we were even allowed."

North again looks at her confused. "Y-yeah...? If we left we'd put the whole city at risk. We know this well. I'm honestly surprised you were allowed to leave Equestria." North would dart his eyes around at the other ponies, trying to make sure none are close enough to hear what they're talking about. He'd also seem to be getting a little nervous.

"Why... why wouldn't I be? I mean, it's not advisable to go to certain places, but... Equestrians can leave Equestria, temporarily or permanently." Fantasy explained. "How would anyone leaving put the city at risk?" Honestly, I'd think the city was more dangerous to outsiders than the other way around.

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North would continue to watch the ponies for a few moments. He'd then look towards Fantasy and speak in a hushed tone. "You can't really be asking that... You're gonna put yourself in deeper water if anypony else hears that. Finish your meal, I'm gonna have to put the muzzle back on or else someone will get suspicious." He'd push the food and drink closer to her to emphasize his point. He'd also seem to mouth a 'Sorry' at her, though only briefly.

Fantasy took a few more bites of bread crust and gulped down a piece of cheese, and allowed North to re-muzzle her. She gave him a concerned look before facing forward for a second and then letting her gaze wander.

A few unicorns and pegasi had been eavesdropping. The unicorns, once caught, hurried off, one whapped in the horn by a pegasus. The pegasi simply walked away, apparently not too concerned with North and Fantasy knowing they'd heard some of what they'd said.

Fantasy heard a clipping sound. She turned around and saw an earth pony trimming the hedges behind them. The earth pony didn't look up, or even seem to notice her and North.

Uh-huh. Fantasy thought. She gave North a worried look, trying to ask with her eyes if he thought they were going to get in trouble.

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North locked eyes with Fantasy as she gave him a worried look, his own expression showing that he was of a similar mind. He'd otherwise remain silent before coughing, attempting to clear his throat before returning his attention forward, though he would glance behind him every so often. He'd also inch a bit closer to Fantasy, though he doesn't seem to realize he's done this.

North's expression would remain blank as he scans around, though he'd appear to be starting to sweat. Whether it's because of the heat or nervousness is anypony's guess though.

After a few minutes Fantasy got up to pace in circles, but stopped and sat back down when the chain attaching her to the lamp post made an obnoxious noise as she dragged it along.

A few hours later, a unicorn showed up to make some paintings of Fantasy: one a caricature, another an accurate portrait. "In case they need to make Wanted notices." she explained to North.

It took her until noon to finish the caricature, at which point the brown earth pony showed up again with more bags. Standing in front of Fantasy, not looking at North, she looked down at the half-full bags of food and untouched water.

"You've been rationing." she said to Fantasy. She pushed the bags and another wine bottle in front of Fantasy. "The nobility wastes a lot of food. I'll be here every breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Probably." And she walked away, not acknowledging or addressing North unless she had to.

The unicorn took much longer with the portrait: the sun was setting on what little of the Pegasopolian horizon Fantasy could see by the time she'd finished. She wiped her brow and walked off with the canvases, just as a group of crowned pegasus mares made their way over to Fantasy and North.

"...was that the painter?" one asked. North would recognize her as one of the Princesses of History.

"I believe so." the Princess of the Treasury answered.

"Do you suppose her leaving means the paintings are done?"

"Most likely."

"Ooh, how exciting! I hope i get to see them soon."

"Why? The outsider is right there." The Princess gestured to Fantasy with a wing. "You'll never get a more realistic image of her than what you see right now."

"I beg to differ. My memory of this outsider's face will fade with time, but the painting can last forever, to remind me and those that come after."

"Why would we want to keep an image of it?" asked North's boss, who was now wearing a... well, it was something of a cross between a tiara and a helmet. "Why would we want to remember having that in our kingdom?!"

"F-for... historical-"

"Screw the historical record, that thing is a taint! A stain on our pristine history!"

"Excuse you, you brute-!"

"Ahem." the princess at the front of the group, one of the Princesses of Law said, "We're here."

They stopped in front of North and Fantasy, each looking between the two for a moment.

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North would give a short salute to the Princesses when they stopped in front of him and Fantasy. He'd remain silent and at attention, seeming to be trying to stand a bit taller than normal. His head would face forward, his eyes focused in the middle of the Princesses.

The Princess of the Treasury looked North over, looking quite curious. "This is the blank flank?" she asked the Military Princess. "When you told me about him, I thought you were speaking of a stallion much younger. Perhaps barely more than a colt."

"Odd, I could've sworn I told you about him. In detail. On multiple occasions." the Military Princess said, glaring at her. "Loudly."

"Ah, that explains it! I never listen to your rants."

"What?! You-" The Princess growled and roughly shuffled her wings, grumbling something about the shine from bits frying her brain.

"We've come to check on you and the outsider you've been tasked with guarding." the Princess of Law explained. "Well, Princess Tempest Storm and I have. Princesses [uhhh...] and Prosperity were simply curious about the outsider."

"Interesting creature, this unicorn." the historian Princess leaned in to get a closer look at Fantasy, but then suddenly moved back. "Does it bite?"

"It's wearing a muzzle, it couldn't bite you anyway!" Princess Tempest said. Then, to North, "So how has the outsider been behaving? What has it been up to?"

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North would give a quick glance to Fantasy before returning to attention. He'd speak in an orderly and respectful voice as he talks to the Princess. "The outsider has been well behaved on my watch, though I cannot speak for the night guard. She hasn't attempted to escape, nor has she really shown much aversion to her situation. She's simply been remaining here, being quiet, and being... well, behaved. I have no real complaints, your highness." He'd give a short, rehearsed bow towards her as he finishes his statement.

North would seem to become a bit nervous from the questioning. He'd open his mouth to answer the Princess of Law before Tempest's comment causes him to nearly choke. He'd begin to mutter and mumble for a few moments having been taken completely by surprise. "I... she... what... I don't..."

He'd take in a big breath, recomposing himself, his face a little red now from embarrassment. "Y-yes, your highness. I remember how dangerous outsiders are and I did not break any laws. I've told her nothing about our city, nor our people, your Highness. We simply talked about Eque-" He'd pause for a moment, glancing to Fantasy before continuing. "We were simply talking about stories to pass the time, nothing more, your highnesses."

Princess Tempest stalked up to North, bringing her face right up to his again and glaring into his eyes. "Stories?" she asked, her voice dangerously quiet. "What stories, exactly? What ideas has she been sharing with you?"

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North would seem to become more worried, though he calms once he gets an idea in his head. "Simply fairy tales and the like. Crazy stories, but they pass the time and provide a boost to morale. Similar to those stories you're told when you're a colt or filly growing up, your highness."

"Moral stories..." the historian Princess said simultaneously, only now frowning with concern and disapproval. "She's been telling you moral stories..."

"Moral stories?!" Suddenly North was on his back on the ground, thrown down and held down by Princess Tempest's hoof on his chest. "You've been listening to the moral doctrine of a unicorn foreigner?!"

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